HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Two out-of-state men pleaded guilty today to charges arising from the January 5, 2022, raid on a Huntington storage unit.
Phillip Antoine Rucker, also known as “Chocolate," 43, of Proctorville, Ohio, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
Marshall Luther Williams, also known as “Chuck" and “Chubs," 41, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 5, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Rucker on an active warrant at a Riverside Drive storage facility in Huntington. Officers found approximately $5,080 and a Taurus, Model Spectrum,.380-caliber pistol in Rucker’s vehicle and seized a key for a unit at the storage facility from Rucker.
Officers obtained a search warrant for the unit, where they found approximately 42.24 grams of a substance containing fentanyl, 27.92 grams of methamphetamine, 929 grams of a purple powder, a Glock 9mm pistol, and $8,591.
Rucker and Williams each admitted to renting the storage unit and keeping controlled substance there for distribution. Rucker and Williams further admitted that the purple powder found during the search was intended to cut or be mixed with the fentanyl prior to distribution.
Rucker and Williams are scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2023, and face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-34.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys